Reinforcement fibres
In fibre-reinforced polymers, the reinforcement fibres determine the material properties. In many cases, the strength of the fibres is greater in magnitude than the matrix materials - and frequently well in excess of the tensile strength of metallic materials. The density of the most commonly used fibres, in contrast, is lower than that of aluminium, which points towards great potential for lightweight construction.
In most cases, glass, carbon and aramid fibres are used in fibre-reinforced polymers. From the designer's point of view, the mechanical characteristics of the material are of particular significance.
In order to guarantee that the fibres bond with the polymer matrix, bonding agents, also known as primers, are used. The selection of suitable fibre primers is decisive to the characteristics of the product. In addition, the primer must be selected in line with the applications, in order to comply with subsequent requirements such as specific migration limits.
